About

The Classes

Miss Caitlin’s Writing Program offers classes for students from 3rd-12th in order to help students improve their writing skills, increase their success in school, and instill in them a passion for learning and language. Students can enroll in group classes or one on one instruction in writing, reading, reading comprehension and more. We teach students primarily in the San Ramon, CA and Frisco, TX areas.

Below, are some key principles upheld in Ms. Caitlin’s Writing Program:

• Small Class Sizes: Especially since class sizes in public schools have risen to 30+ students, it is essential that our class sizes are small enough to allow every student to ask questions, actively participate, and receive one on one attention. This is why all group classes have a limit of six students.
• Common Core and TEKS Standards: All classes available for 3rd-8th grade involve a variety of Common Core and TEKS standards for writing, speaking and listening, reading comprehension, and more.
• Unique Learning Experiences: In addition to the Common Core and TEKS concepts, students learn other writing strategies that they may not be learning in school. Students also receive extensive individual feedback on their writing, allowing them to understand their specific areas for improvement.
• College Prep: In these courses, whether group or one on one, students build writing skills that will carry them through high school and college. A persuasive, individual voice, unique style, effective flow, and structural adaptability are the key differences between good writing and great writing. These are challenging to teach in a large classroom and are not stressed enough in the Common Core Curriculum.
• Efficient Use of Class Time: At least 75% of each class is utilized as instructional time. Very rarely do students simply sit and write quietly. This kind of work can be done at home! In class, students take notes on new concepts, review examples, ask questions, engage in discussions, participate in the practice of new concepts, and apply new skills in different ways. When students work on their writing homework at home, help from Miss Caitlin is always available by email and text message.

The Teacher

My name is Caitlin Stone and I am the founder, director, and primary teacher here at Miss Caitlin’s Writing Program, an online English language arts learning center. I received a bachelor’s degree in English from Arizona State University, and have been running Miss Caitlin’s Writing Program for the past nine years. I have extensive experience tutoring as well as teaching English language arts, and I reached an enrollment of over 80 students at my location in San Ramon, California 65 students in Frisco, TX before moving to Florida.

I started Miss Caitlin’s Writing Program the year the San Ramon Valley Unified School District implemented the Common Core State Standards.  My former AP Literature teacher came to me, asking if I would be willing to teach a fifth grader to write over the summer. I agreed, developed a curriculum, and this program was born. As I began teaching more students, I learned that a great concern from many parents when it came to the new standards was the increased demand for writing skills. These standards not only emphasize English language arts, but students must incorporate writing into all other subjects as well. They must explain their steps in solving math problems, develop opinions about historical events, and describe scientific processes. Since students now must use writing in so many different ways, I believe  it is essential that children learn to write flexibly, naturally, fluently, and in a way that suits the demands of the task, yet still incorporates the child’s individual voice.